Author: Beta-TNT (webmaster)
Now we have The Phantom Pain.
Venom Snake
As the protagonist of The Phantom Pain, I believe you guys are too familiar with his outfit. Venom Snake and other Mother Base members have a Load Bearing Vest and SPIE Harness in their ordinary camouflage uniform outfits.
Load Bearing Vest
I’ve introduced SPIE Harness already. Now we focus on the vest: Load Bearing Vest (LBV). The original LBV came from the Individual Integrated Fighting System (IIFS). It was meant to replace ALICE.
But the vest showed up in the game. It looks like some commercial item, such as Eagle Industries or BLACKHAWK.
Holster
Snake has his holster installed on the right side. But the holster is different in the actual game and in the art book. In the game, the holster is like an 1980s or 1990s dated Eagle Industries custom-made SAS series large holster with a secure flap. But in the art book, it looks like an American Body Armor & Equipment Inc made leg drop holster.
This holster has two flaps: the outer flap is secured by a 1″ side release buckle, and has a small piece of Velcro hook pile sewn on the outside. The hook pile can stick on the upper panel and keep the flap open. The inner flap is made of 1″ webbing and secured by a snap button. This holster is widely used by SOF units in the 1990s.
But the ABA is not the only brand that makes holster of this kind, other famous tactical gear brand like Eagle Industries and BLACKHAWK also have similar products.
Quiet
There is no doubt that Quiet is a highlight character in the entire game: with a perfect figure and eye-catching attire, she provides precise and reliable sniping support. Before the game was released, Quiet’s sexy appearance had sparked considerable discussion on social networks. But now we are focusing on the gear she wears.
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ALICE Gear
Quiet’s loadout is based on ALICE: the belt and suspenders. But her belt doesn’t exist until 1988, and the game is set in 1984.
The ammo pouches on her belt aren’t ALICE: they’re M-1956 Small Arms Ammunition Case.
As for her holster, there are also many manufacturers: Eagle Industries, London Bridge Trading, BLACKHAWK, etc.
Gloves
Quiet wears different gloves on her hands, I can recognize the right one: GS/FRP-2 Summer Flyer’s Gloves.
Boots
Quiet’s boots are quite recognizable and classic: Jungle Boots with “Panama Sole”.
XOF Strike Force Operator
Head Gear
In Ground Zeros, every XOF operator wears a white helmet with a communication headset. According to the appearance, we can easily recognize their helmets: Gentex DH-132 Combat Vehicle Crew Helmet.
The game recreates the helmet well. We can even recognize the MK-1697/G communication headset. The helmets in the game have some additional vent holes on the helmet shell top.
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The US Army adopted the DH-132 CVC Helmet in 1972. It replaces its predecessor, the T56-6 Tank Helmet. DH-132 is the first product of the Gentex DH-132 Helmet Series. Its shell is made from ballistic nylon fiber, but it’s not a ballistic-protective helmet. DH-132A and later DH-132B and DH-132A/S, and their shells are made of Kevlar fiber, have a ballistic-protective capability of NIJ III-A level.
Goggles of this kind are not tactical gear or military equipment. They are made for horse racing. But many operators wear them in breaching action or parajumping.
Vest And Other Webbing
The XOF’s vest is also recognizable: American Body Armor & Equipment Modular Assault Vest. The same manufacturer as Snake’s holster.
Both the game and the art book recreate the vest well, the pouch on the right shoulder is removed for gun stock, and leaves a blank panel. You can see Velcro and snap buttons on the panel. It seems that this vest is a standard issue item for XOF Unit. Everyone wears it. They also wear ballistic body armor beneath the vest.
This vest appeared in the 1980s and is a star product of American Body Armor & Equipment Inc. It was used in VBSS (Visit Board Search and Seizure) by special operations units such as the US Navy in the 1990s. However, when this vest first appeared in Ground Zeros, the game was set in 1975, and at that time, this vest had not yet been released.
The vest is modular, all the pouches are detachable and replaceable via Velcro and snap buttons. Back in the days before MOLLE/PALS, many tactical vests used similar ways to feature modularization. There are several selectable pouch paneld for this vest: MP-5 triple magazine pouch, AR-15 triple magazine pouch, M-14 7.62 double magazine pouch, 12# shotgun shell panel, etc.
The XOF operators also wear some other gears.
Coveralls
The XOF’s uniform is famous fire-resistant coveralls: CWU-27/P. In the real world, not only the flyers and the SOF operators, but are also used by SWAT units.
There is a detail on their right arm: a sewn-on strobe pouch.
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The pouch is for holding a strobe light. By the game set year (1975), it should be SDU-5/E.
Tactical Radio
Firstly, the XOF operators use a black backpack to take tactical radio. The pack is ABA Vest’s daypack.
Let’s see another snapshot.
Judging by the panel that comes out from the top opening, there are two devices in the pack, connected by a cable. The device on the right has a UHF antenna: HST-4 SATCOM Radio. The device on the left is KY-57 Transmission Security Device. This combination appears in the ACC of The Phantom Pain.
Let’s make it straight: the whole XOF Unit’s gear is based on Navy SEALs’ VBSS loadout in the 1990s.
Let’s recall the Peace Walker Incident. If you have a fully upgraded Mother Base, it should consist of five sets of struts: Command Center, R&D Lab, Living Quarters, Hanger and Mission Support. Each set has three or four struts. All the struts are heavily guarded and armed. Some of the struts even have self-defense weapons. Also, boats patrol around the struts all the time. In one word, MSF’s Mother Base is a heavily guarded military fortress in the sea. Even they evacuated most personnel and heavy weapons for the fake IAEA inspection, and have Huey as a mole, the Mother Base’s defense is significantly weakened, it’s still a nasty target.
The XOF’s tactic is to infiltrate the Mother Base under the cover of fake inspection, rig explosives on the struts, detonate them at the same time and eliminate all surviving MSF personnel. This operation requires many combatants to be grouped and requires extremely high tactical coordination capabilities; Not only that, this is also a top secret operation, combat teams should contact each other via ciphered radio. These are basically the same as VBSS missions in reality: combat in small and complex struct facilities, clear all the corners and rooms, while also being prepared for sudden accidents such as man overboard and fires. The VBSS mission setting takes into account all of the above situations, so it is very appropriate to choose the equipment matching for special forces to carry out VBSS missions in reality as a reference.
Private Forces in Africa
In The Phantom Pain, there are three private forces in Africa: Contract Force of Africa, Rogue Coyote and Zero Risk Security.
With the limitation in space and time, we’ll focus on CFA this time.
The setting of two private forces, CFA and Rogue Coyotes, referred to several real world private military companies (PMCs) active in Central Africa and South Africa at the time, including the (in)famous EO (Executive Outcomes), many of which had backgrounds in European countries such as Britain. This is also reflected in the individual equipment of soldiers. The setting of soldiers from various private forces in The Phantom Pain is also very detailed.
Uniform
CFA soldiers’ gear has a strong British style. The khaki shorts and combat uniforms they are wearing are proofing this. From the details of their clothing, the classic four-pocket hunting jacket and the light colored reinforcement at the bottom of the pockets undoubtedly point to the South African Slangvel Smock.
Helmet
CFA and Rogue Coyote’s helmets are based on SADF M83 Helmet.
Individual Equipment
In terms of equipment, both CFA and Rogue Coyote combatants use the Pattern 83 (also known as M83) webbing, which has three parts: Battle Jacket, Chest Ring, and Rucksack. You can see the battle jacket and chest rig in the game.
The Pattern 83 was initially adopted by the South African Defense Forces (SADF) and was designed for operations in jungles, featuring convenient accessibility and high capacity. Many Pattern 83 webbing, along with their owners, have been joint into various private forces across Africa or even the whole world. In the game, CFA and Rogue Coyote are recruiting retired SADF soldiers, thus fitting these gears on the game’s private forces is quite appropriate.
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Miscellaneous
Fulton Surface-To-Air Recovery System
In fact, many people have written articles specifically introducing the Fulton recovery system. I believe that readers who are interested in this game have also learned about this system from other channels, I’ll save it.
The real Fulton Recovery System consists of three packs:
- Pack #1: harness suit, knife and flashlight.
- Pack #2: balloon, rope and helium container.
- Pack #3: bridle and lift-line.
Reinforced Laptop Computer
You’ll see a intel post in the wild if you’re trying to start a main quest while roaming in the world. There is a reinforced laptop computer, you can connect your iDroid to it and begin downloading mission data.
The appearance of this laptop refers to the design of various reinforced laptops in reality. The most famous among them is probably Panasonic’s TOUGHBOOK series reinforced laptops. Based on the appearance in the game, it may be referred to an early model of the TOUGHBOOK series, such as the CF-25 in 1996.
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